


acting like an animal (now here's my scandal)

by lyhoradka



Category: The Folk of the Air - Holly Black
Genre: F/M, Post-The Wicked King, Weddings, fairies love a party and so do i, thatse eet i cannot change this, this fic is just a self indulgent joke with some spicy lines about feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 12:30:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21392185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyhoradka/pseuds/lyhoradka
Summary: They insisted on a celebration, of course. The most tactful of the Court called it the High Queen’s triumphant return from her trip to the mortal world. Those less inclined to playing it safe with the new monarch referred to the affair as a much-needed reprieve from warmongering. Whatever the sentiment, the Court demanded a wedding.-The King and Queen during their first dance.
Relationships: Jude Duarte & Taryn Duarte, Jude Duarte & Vivienne Duarte, Jude Duarte/Cardan Greenbriar
Comments: 13
Kudos: 103





	acting like an animal (now here's my scandal)

They insisted on a celebration, of course. The most tactful of the Court called it the High Queen’s triumphant return from her trip to the mortal world. Those less inclined to playing it safe with the new monarch referred to the affair as a much-needed reprieve from warmongering. Whatever the sentiment, the Court demanded a wedding.

Jude wasn’t surprised - fairies loved nothing more than a party.

It was a night out of a tale, with the shimmering curtains to blow gently in the breeze, and wrought candelabras to hold up countless candles like trapped stars. Tables heaved with honeyed fruit and platters of meat, like a feast laid by the magic tablecloth. The wine jugs seemed bottomless, the musicians untiring.

Jude had chosen the wedding gown herself, and for a moment she wished that she had picked something dazzling to match this scene. Something layered with lace and gauzy with magic. Something that a High Queen of Fairy might wear, instead of a mortal girl stolen from her home.

“They hate it,” Vivi remarked, so gleeful about it that it was borderline improper. “And you look stunning in it, so they hate it even more.” She brushed her thumb along the corner of Jude’s tight smile, and visibly softened. “My baby sister, getting married.”

It was painfully, exactly how Jude had imagined this moment when she dared to think of it at all. 

“I hope they call me something terrible, like the Pauper Queen or Human Impostor,” Jude said, just to see Vivi smile. 

In truth, the dress was beautiful, though it was the plainest in the room. It fell in clean, sharp lines of simple blue linen and embroidered lilies as white as snow. They marched up her sleeve and around the plunge of her neckline, delicate and lovely and astonishing. Fresh lilies caged in her mass of hair, weaving with marigolds, the flower crown a riot of white and deep amber. Blooms of death.

As though drawn by Jude’s thoughts, Vivi’s gaze flicked to the flowers. But before she could comment, Taryn materialized at her elbow. 

“Well, I think it’s been long enough,” she announced. “We’re halfway through the night. If I don’t dance, I think I’ll die.” She stepped back and held out her hand to her twin sister, cheeks dimpling. It was the sort of sly, mischievous smile that she could have borrowed from none other than Vivi, and Jude’s heart gave a painful thump as she stepped up to twine their fingers together. 

“You brought it?”

Taryn’s grin grew. “Of course.”

“I have it right here,” Vivi flashed her phone, startling and out of place in the midst of fairy revelry, and squeezed Jude’s shoulder. “Go find that asshole. We’ll set it up.”

Finding that asshole took much longer than anticipated. The party sprawled over the palace courtyard and even beyond, spilling into halls and woods and winding gardens. Everyone parted for the bride in her maiden linen, avoided her gaze when she asked after her husband. No one had seen him. No, he was drinking in the maze. No, he was tossing dice by the tower. No, he was dancing.

Jude had made her way around most of the party by the time she found him perched on a bench at the outskirts of the smaller garden, wine in one hand and chin in the other. A little boy was speaking animatedly as Cardan listened. He was dressed in embroidered brocade and gold cloth, but he wore at all like he didn’t notice it was there.

The child saw Jude before Cardan did.

“Queen Jude,” he gasped, and jumped to his feet. He attempted a bow, shot another adoring glance at Cardan, and fled.

Jude smiled slightly at stepped closer to her husband. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare him away.”

“You do have that effect on people.”

“Maybe it’s best they get used to it, then.”

Cardan tilted his chin up as though to see her better as she came closer, and gave her one of his warm smiles. “Can we ever get used to fear?” he asked, mock-philosphic.

“How poetic.” Now within reach, Jude caught the crown that began to slip from his curls. “Of course. People can get used to anything.”

She felt Cardan watching intently as she nestled the High Crown among the lilies and marigolds, shivering slightly even though she couldn’t feel the metal. It was lighter than she expected. The weight in the High King’s eyes made up for it. 

“Why the blue linen?” he asked. 

“A mortal tradition. A laundry list of symbols to wear on your wedding day. Something blue.” Jude smoothed the cloth over her waist, thrilled at the flicker of Cardan’s gaze to the movement of her hand. 

When he looked back at her, he was smiling again. Not for the first time, Jude thought,  _ my husband _ .

“What else is on the list?” he asked.

“Something old,” she told him, and adjusted the crown. They grinned at each other like fools as though she told a joke.

“What else?”

“Something new.” Jude touched her finger to the gems in her ears in demonstration - a gift from Taryn that had felt like a promise and an apology at once. The irony had not escaped either of them. “Something borrowed.”

Cardan frowned, a puzzled crumple of his brow. “What’s the something borrowed?”

Jude smiled again, helpless. “You.” Before he could reply, she took his hand and pulled him to his feet, both of them stumbling. “Come on, it’s time for our first dance. Vivi and Taryn are orchestrating.”

Cardan was still frowning. “Jude, I—”

“Please.”

After a moment, he indicated for her to lead the way.

The dance floor was, if possible, even more crowded than before. Couples coasted to a pause as Jude and Cardan appeared hand-in-hand. Light glinted off jewels and dresses and embroidery, painted mouths laughing and painted eyes shut, heads thrown back in mirth. Jude felt like a mouse in the room, with her linen and her flowers that were planted on graves. She felt like a lioness with the crown on her head, with her human hair and human life and Cardan’s hand in hers, somehow the most human thing of all.

_ Don’t be a fool _ , she told herself.  _ This crown will pass from your hands and so will he. _

“What are we dancing to?” Cardan asked her, low and warm by her ear. She will have to give him back one day, but not before they’ve danced. Not before they’ve changed everything for this stubborn, eternal world.

“I was just thinking that, well, they hate me,” she whispered. “They may hate me for months or they may hate me until we step down from the throne. But still, I am the High Queen and I’m a human, so—” Suddenly she ran out of words, and laughed quickly. She took Cardan’s other hand and placed it on her waist, bringing them toe-to-toe the way they stood in the garden. “You don’t have to pretend to love me,” she told him, solemn as a child. This close, she could feel his breath catch. “But it doesn’t have to be terrible, this marriage. I thought you were the most awful person for a while - no, don’t laugh, I know it’s not the most romantic thing to say right now. But listen, you fucked me over and I fucked you worse so let’s just. I don’t know. Have fun together.” Jude offered a hesitant smile. “Water under the bridge, right?”

Cardan was grinning, somehow. Bright and shaking, his fingers warm on her waist, eyes crinkled at the corners. She used to hate him so much, once. She hoped she might learn to do it again, one day, but it was starting to seem extremely unlikely.

Jude breathed out sharply and then laughed with him, relieved. 

At that, the music cut out and spluttered to a stop. Vivi stood with her phone in hand like a conquering general, teeth glinting like daggers or jewels or both. “Alright,” she bellowed. “Let’s get this party started.” And then she pressed play.

Deep bass grumbled to life, electronic and gritty and unmistakably, horrifyingly, gloriously human. Vivi whooped and gave Taryn a high five, then did the same to Oak’s uncoordinated palm. The walls shuddered. The fairies recoiled. The cleverly-hidden speakers crooned,  _ apple bottom jeans and boots with da fuuuur, she got the whole club looking at heeeer. _

Cardan stood stock-still, his expression a picture of such perfect shock that Jude wanted to laugh all over again. For the first time, she felt a prickle of apprehension. She didn’t care about the Court, didn’t care about the goblins who’d shoved her aside and hated her place here. But this newfound truce between her and her husband was so fragile, the hurt between them so fresh, that if he scorned her again now, if he punished her for this astonishing display of crass mortality —

“I won’t pretend, Jude,” he said, shaking his head. “Don’t worry. I won’t pretend to love you.” Pain bloomed in her ribs sharp and sudden, brighter than the marigolds in her hair, tempered by his smile. “Come on, my queen, let’s have fun like you promised.” And he swept her to the dance floor. 

_ She hit the floor _ , the speakers thumped,  _ next thing you know Shawty got low low low low low low low _ . Forced by courtesy to follow the King and Queen’s example, the fairies of the Court bumped their hips to the music, grinding along with Vivi and Taryn’s enthusiastic tutorial. One song bled into the next, blaring into the night.  _ I found you, miss new booty _ , the speakers advised.  _ You got that, you got that m.i.l.f. money _ , the speakers announced.  _ I got two phones, one for the plug and one for the load _ , the speakers confessed.

And the fairy King and his mortal Queen tumbled merrily into marriage, no pretense whatsoever.

**Author's Note:**

> [say hi](http://lyhoradka.tumblr.com) on tumblr!


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